{
  "id": 14389772,
  "title": "Pope Leo XIV recovering from lung cancer surgery: What happens next?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/pope-leo-xiv-recovering-from-lung-cancer-surgery-what-happens-next",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-14T07:12:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euronews",
    "slug": "euronews",
    "url": "https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/14/pope-leo-xiv-recovering-from-lung-cancer-surgery-what-happens-next"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pope Leo XIV experienced a peaceful night following his lung cancer surgery, as disclosed by the Vatican on Wednesday. The 71-year-old pontiff is recuperating at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after the successful 90-minute procedure to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung on Tuesday. The Vatican confirmed that the surgery proceeded as planned and within the expected time frame, and the ailing Pope returned to his room on the hospital's tenth floor, adjacent to the papal apartment where Pope Francis resided a year and a half ago.\n\nDuring the surgery, a part of Pope Leo XIV's lung was removed, leaving medical professionals to wait for test results that could reveal whether the cancer had spread. The Vatican has not mentioned any further treatment plans, stating that doctors are not yet considering chemotherapy or other therapies until additional test results are available.\n\nExperts suggested that the prognosis would heavily depend on the cancer's stage and whether it had spread. However, the Vatican emphasized that the cancer was detected early and was localized, two crucial factors influencing the outlook. The surgery has sparked uncertainty regarding Pope Leo XIV's upcoming trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, scheduled from November 6-17.\n\nThe Vatican stated that the pope's recovery was expected to last around a week, during which all his audiences were canceled until October 20. There remains ambiguity about whether the pontiff will be able to embark on his planned South American tour. Oncologists usually advise patients to avoid flying for three weeks after surgery, leaving the pope with limited time to recuperate before the trip. The 12 flights and two helicopter journeys covering over 31,000 kilometers constitute the longest trip of Pope Leo XIV's papacy.\n\nCardinal Kikuchi Tsutomu of Tokyo, who met Pope Leo XIV on Monday, reassured that the surgery was not an emergency and marked the pontiff's first hospitalization since becoming pope on May 8, 2025. Unlike his predecessor, Pope Francis, who openly discussed his health problems, the Vatican has typically maintained secrecy regarding papal health.",
  "summary": "In the hospital chapel, dozens of faithful prayed for the pope's health during the operation.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Things to know about Pope Leo XIV’s lung surgery",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/things-to-know-about-pope-leo-xivs-lung-surgery",
        "published": "2026-10-13T19:24:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer, Vatican says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/pope-leo-diagnosed-with-lung-cancer-vatican-says",
        "published": "2026-10-13T20:55:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Nation Africa",
        "title": "Pope Leo diagnosed with cancer as doctors remove lobe of lung, Vatican says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/pope-leo-diagnosed-with-cancer-as-doctors-remove-lobe-of-lung-vatican-14336042",
        "published": "2026-10-13T21:00:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Pope Leo diagnosed with cancer as doctors remove lobe of lung, Vatican says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/pope-leo-diagnosed-with-cancer-as-doctors-remove-lobe-of-lung-vatican",
        "published": "2026-10-13T21:11:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CNBC",
        "title": "Pope Leo diagnosed with cancer as doctors remove lobe of lung, Vatican says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/pope-leo-diagnosed-with-cancer-as-doctors-remove-lobe-of-lung-vatican-14301824",
        "published": "2026-10-13T21:27:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "Vatican says Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer and that the lower lobe of his right lung was removed",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/vatican-says-pope-leo-xiv-has-lung-cancer-and-that-the-lower-lobe-of",
        "published": "2026-10-13T21:59:58.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Pope Leo has cancerous tumour removed in lung operation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/pope-leo-has-cancerous-tumour-removed-in-lung-operation",
        "published": "2026-10-13T22:24:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer after surgery",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/pope-leo-diagnosed-with-lung-cancer-after-surgery",
        "published": "2026-10-14T04:20:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}